Venue: El Dorado Maroma Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico
For more information about the resort: My Super Awesome Mexican Wedding Part I
Season: April 2016
Photography: Anthony Vierras, Tacoma, Washington
Makeup/Hair: NÁAY spa
Wedding Traditions
We chose to do wedding gifts for one another. The groom gifted me with a charm-filled necklace and a poem to match. It worked out beautifully since I forgot my Something New at home! His gift was perfect for the day.
Something Old: My abuelita’s cookbook
Something New: Charm necklace
Something Borrowed: Diamond mickey heads in the bouquet
(borrowed from my Maid of Honor)
Something Blue: Peruvian Amazonite necklace & earrings
Excursions & Diversions on the Big Day
Before the getting ready commenced, the ladies woke up early for some breakfast and drinks at the swim up bar! Who cares that it was nine in the morning? While the ladies primped, the boys went out on a few excursions thanks to the concierge!
The First Look
It was very important to me to keep the First Look private, and thankfully most of the rooms offered at El Dorado boast privacy. We held the photography under some shady palm trees on the side of our room.
I made my groom a scrapbook of our relationship and wrote him a few thoughtful notes. Included at the end of the book was a watch, my gift to him, with a note attached reading “See you at 3!“
Photography
Although ELD has their own list of preferred photographers, I chose to bring a photographer friend of mine along for the journey. Trading a trip for free services was the way to go! You can’t take an ugly photo here.
The Bliss of a Wedding Package
I cannot stress the importance of leaving the details to the professionals enough. The EDM staff KNOWS how to do this. We chose the Pure Glamour package and we were not disappointed. Turns out, you really don’t need a ton of knick knacks, burlpap, or cutesy signs to have a magical day.
Beach Wedding Playlist
“Seamless” by Sabrina Carpenter (Guest Seating)
“You and I” by Ingrid Michaleson (Seating of the Parents)
“A Whole New World” by Yuna (Bridal Party Processional)
“Mil Años” by Kevin, Karla y la Banda (Bridal Processional)
“Just the Way You Are” by Sungha Jung (Unity Ceremony)
“Love Me Like You Do” by Kevin, Karla y la Banda (Exit Processional)
The Ceremony
It was beautiful. The sound was perfect, the breeze was gentle, the ocean was the bluest of blues. We chose to do a wine themed Unity Ceremony where we combined two bottles into a goblet. Every anniversary we can remake our own blend! Because the wedding was in another country, we chose to only do a symbolic ceremony, no legalities to slow down our trip. We were given a symbolic wedding certificate to commemorate the day!
Cocktail Hour
As soon as we did the exit, hotel servers were waiting with trays of Rose French 75s. Very classy, and definitely got the buzz going! We enjoyed our cocktails in the sand with tons of hugs, laughter, and chatter. Our cocktail “hour” only lasted until our reception area was ready. I don’t think we stood around with our cocktails longer than 20 minutes. The wedding planning staff was very good at making sure we were whisked away from event to event without any stress on our part!
Decorations From Home
To save money, we did end up bringing a few items with us, like silk flowers (rather than buying bouquets or center pieces). The bridesmaid bouquets doubled as center pieces during the reception, and we simply bought a huge bag of craft shells to scatter around the tables. We also brought some craft wood, mason jars, and collected sand for the jars the night before! Sticking with the wine ceremony theme, we were gifted a cork holder as our guest book. Finally, our wedding favors were Mexican blankets we actually bought at a discount online! We just delivered these to our guests once we were home…but until then, everyone got to take home a maraca with a handwritten note promising their blankets upon return home!
The Reception
Cocktail Hour
First Dance
Dinner
Speeches
Mother/Groom Dance
Mother of the Bride Dance Tribute
Dance Floor Opening
“I Choose You” by Mackenzie Johnson
“Never Alone” by Lady Antebellum
“Como La Flor” by Selena
A Magical Evening
As the sun set on Maroma Beach, the party was hoppin’ for us on shore! The DJ was wonderful, the weather was warm, and the drinks kept coming. We brought glow sticks from home for our exit, but the DJ actually provided everyone with glow sticks and party balloons for fun!
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